A nonprofit advocacy group with ties to Republican operatives has contributed more than $700,000 over the past month to two issue committees pushing Amendment 47, the right-to-work ballot initiative seeking to prohibit forced union fees.

The group’s spokesman, Cliff Dodge, a former chief of staff for the state legislature’s Senate Republicans, wouldn’t disclose its financial donors.

Dodge said the only other political campaign he could recall that the group has supported this year is Republican Bob Schaffer’s run for U.S. Senate. The group, called Coloradans for Economic Growth, has financed commercials supporting Schaffer.

Coloradans for Economic Growth has given $287,000 to A Better Colorado and $425,000 to Defend Our Economy. Both are pro-Amendment 47 committees.

Coloradans for Economic Growth’s registered agent is law firm Hackstaff Gessler, according to a secretary of state filing. Scott Gessler, an attorney at the firm, has ties to Schaffer.

Gessler also is the president of Coloradans for Change, a political advocacy group where Schaffer once served as secretary-treasurer, according to Internal Revenue Service filings.

Major donors to Coloradans for Change have included the Trailhead Group, according to opensecrets.org, which tracks political contributions.

The now defunct Trailhead group was a political fundraising committee formed by beer magnate Pete Coors, oil man Bruce Benson and former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens.

Members of the Coors family, including Pete’s 28-year-old nephew, Jonathan Coors, are backing Amendment 47.

The Larimer County coroner on Sunday performed an autopsy on the body found on a farm just east of Loveland Saturday, but the office will not release the cause of death or the identity of the person until they can track down next of kin.